OKFUSKEE COUNTY, Okla. (KFOR) – State and local law enforcement agencies today began apprehending targets of a meth trafficking investigation in Okfuskee County.

Oklahoma Bureau of Narcotics (OBN) Spokesman Mark Woodward says Agents and Officers from several departments served nearly two-dozen arrest warrants early this morning for individuals bringing large quantities of meth into Okemah, Oklahoma.

“During this investigation, we’ve been working with local authorities to identify those responsible for continually supplying large amounts of meth in Okemah. It would not be uncommon for some of these defendants to move as much as a pound of meth at a time into this area. A total of 22 defendants were identified. Four of the 22 were already in custody as we began serving Warrants this morning,” Mark Woodward, OBN Spokesman said.

Woodward says one of the targets of this investigation was also a known heroin supplier in Okemah. Agencies involved in the investigation included OBN, the Creek Nation Light Horse Police Department, the Okemah Police Department, the Okfuskee County Sheriff’s Department, and the District 24 Drug Task Force.

“There is a direct correlation between drug trafficking and spikes in crime and addiction which hit rural Oklahoma particularly hard. And my agency is dedicated to working side-by-side with our local law enforcement partners to aggressively target and remove these traffickers who threaten the safety of our citizens in rural parts of our state,”OBN Director Donnie Anderson said.

As of 11 a.m., 15 of the 22 targets were in custody. All of the defendants arrested this morning were transported to the Okfuskee County Sheriff’s Department for booking. They face a variety of state and federal charges, including Drug Trafficking and Drug Distribution.